1. Field
The present disclosure relates to batteries and methods of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to metal-air batteries and methods of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A metal-air battery includes an anode that can occlude and emit ions and a cathode that uses oxygen in the air as an active material. The reduction and oxidation of oxygen supplied from the outside occurs at the cathode, whereas oxidation and reduction of a metal occurs at the anode. The chemical energy generated in the metal-air battery is converted into electrical energy and extracted. For example, the metal-air battery absorbs oxygen during a discharge cycle and discharges oxygen during a charge cycle. As such, since the metal-air battery utilizes oxygen in the air as an active material, the cathode active material is not depleted over the course of multiple charge cycles and the energy density of the metal-air battery may be improved. For example, the metal-air battery may have an energy density that is several times greater than that of a lithium-ion battery that does not use oxygen as an active material.
The capacity of a metal-air battery may be primarily determined by a material and configuration of a cathode (e.g., the air electrode). In this regard, there is a demand for the development of a cathode material having physical properties that are advantageous to improve the capacity of a metal-air battery. Furthermore, various aspects of the cathode material, such as improvement of mechanical properties, weight reduction, lower-cost, and ease of production, would be desirable.